The second-best kind of day at a ski resort thankfully comes around pretty often in Colorado, where an overnight storm yields a powder morning. On days like these, by 11 a.m., the goods have been gotten. Yet, with the right ski and boot setup, the mountain transforms into a freeride playground, complete with ephemeral side hits, techy steeps, and gloriously lush pistes. 

　　It was one of those days. The clouds were clearing, and the vibes were high. I snapped Armada’s first-ever boot, the new AR ONE, into my bindings and leaned some pressure into the tongues. My skiing came alive. Suddenly, I felt what all the fuss was about.

　　The AR ONE’s mash the plush-flexing character of a three-piece cabrio boot with the precision and progressive power of a two-piece overlap boot to bridge the gap between freestyle and more traditional performance. Its a true hybrid that pulls the best of both worlds together and ditches the downsides — or, so the brand claims.

　　To top it off, it weaves in a few neat tricks to solve fit issues that skiers like me have been complaining about for decades.

　　I pushed the AR ONEs to my limit over soft, chunky, and rock-hard days alike. The rewards were major even though I had a few notes (and killed one toenail).

　　In short: Armadas AR ONE ($800) is a legitimate deviation from contemporary boot design. It utilizes the cuff and shell of a traditional overlap boot and the tongue of a cabrio, aiming to maximize each design’s benefits and address its drawbacks. The boot is smooth, easy to engage, and legitimately progressive. It also boasts solid heel hold and impressive all-day comfort. For distinct skier types, it might be the perfect book.

　　Armada AR ONE Ski Boots Check Price at EVOCheck Price at REI

　　8.9 How we rate products Specifications Last: 100 mm Flex: 130 flex Weight: 2,100g (26.5) Sizes: 24-29.5 Best for: Freeriders and freestylers Pros Smooth and powerful Easy to get on/off Slingshot buckle keeps heel locked Damp, stout build Wide binding compatibility Cons Some top-of-the-arch pain Don’t confuse it with a touring boot Liners packed in relatively quickly Bergen Tjossem Armada AR ONE Review

　　The boot boasts hybrid cabrio construction; (photo/Bergen Tjossem) After 23 years of making skis, Armada swerved into the boots game with this release. The brands first-ever boot isn’t a subtle iteration on the wide variety of high-performance boots already on the market, though I also wouldn’t call it revolutionary. It’s somewhere in between, and that’s not a bad thing.

　　Armada calls the design a hybrid cabrio construction. It essentially takes the best elements of a three-piece cabrio boot — easy entry and smooth, forgiving flex — and mashes it with the cuff of a more traditional two-buckle boot. The idea pencils out. Why hasn’t anyone else thought of this?

　　Well, others have to some degree. Scarpa’s Maestrale RS touring boot comes immediately to mind, though the hybrid approach is primarily geared toward touring performance. The AR ONE leverages the hybrid design in a different direction, more toward power transfer and progressive flex rather than cuff mobility.

　　Regardless, my second most favorite hybrid element (easy entry being the first) is the progressive flex. Cabrio boots, whose flex is primarily derived from the tongue, get a bad rap for being too linear for some folks. So, along with a beefier cuff, the AR ONE derives its flex from the spine of the boot, like its overlap boot cousins. 

　　The AR ONE’s shell is made entirely from Polyurethane (PU), which makes sense for a boot like this. PU is smooth, damp, and progressive, which are the skiing characteristics Armada is clearly pursuing with this boot. And that’s also great news for skiers with oddly shaped feet who are going to need some punching and grinding to get the fit right.

　　Buckle Design

　　The AR ONE utilizes has two buckles alongside the slingshot; (photo/Bergen Tjossem) There’s one distinct feature that drove me to seek out the AR ONE: The Slingshot buckle. The instep buckle’s lever and latch are connected by a self-equalizing cable that pulls tension toward the heel rather than pressing down on the instep like your typical second buckle. The AR ONE pulls tension between the ankle and instep better than the vast majority of boots I’ve skied in.

　　In typical cabrio fashion, the AR ONE utilizes two other buckles in addition to the slingshot. And as you’d expect, the AR ONE sports a beefy camming power strap to further pull tension on the tongue. The boot felt solid in the tightening department. That translated to a nicely responsive feel on the snow.

　　The buckles on the AR ONE also sport a ton of throw. That is, they provide a ton of leverage that makes snapping them tight very easy. No squatting or pulling on the buckles in agony. They simply take a reasonable amount of force and lock down.

　　Here’s a hot take: It’s refreshing to see an all-new boot debut without any BOA dials. The AR One takes a traditional buckle layout to its maximum value. They’re not only easy to buckle thanks to a generous throw, but they also do a dang good job of dispersing tension over the foot and ankle.

　　Fit

　　The AR ONEs design is perfect for fast and loose freeriding; (photo/Bergen Tjossem) The resulting fit was mostly superb, even on my mangled high-arched hammer-toe feet. A comfortable but firm tension in the shin, with solid heel hold, and a medium fit forefoot inspired fast and loose freeriding.

　　I went one step further and added an aftermarket insole to replace the placeholder footbed that comes standard in almost every ski boot. I used the Remind Medic Impact 5.5MM Mid-High Arch Henrik Harlaut edition. That added a little more comfort and precision to the whole package, and if you’re going to drop $875 on new ski boots, a $60 set of real footbeds is always worth it.

　　The shell’s shape came into focus after a few days of breaking in the liners. Armada went for a middle-of-the-road fit for their first-ever ski boot. The 100mm wide last felt accommodating without being sloppy for my average-width feet. And more importantly, the heel felt satisfying enough, but medium volume, which worked in harmony with the slingshot buckle to stay locked in.

　　The liners packed in and felt comfortable very quickly. And while that was lovely for my feet, it makes me think they might pack out quickly as well.

　　One Note I noticed a recurring pain point on top of both of my arches from the liner and tongue that slowly mellowed out over time. The culprit is likely my unreasonably high arches, but it’s worth noting just the same for my high-arched brethren. It’s enough of an issue that I’ll need to keep working on the fit to get it perfect.

　　The AR ONE bridges the gap between overlap and cabrios in the on/off department. Although the tongue opens up wide, it still required a few good stomps to get my heel into the shell. That’ll happen when you’ve got insanely high arches like mine. 

　　Skiing the AR ONE

　　AR ONE is not as stiff and progressive as a race boot; (photo/Bergen Tjossem) It wasn’t hard to feel immediately at home in the AR ONEs the second I peeled out from the chairlift. The fit felt harmonious right off the bat. They felt confident getting up to speed on my favorite piste-rippers, the K2 Mindbender 99Ti, a damp metal-laden ski that likes to ski fast and powerfully.

　　Just a few short turns in, and the boot engaged. It felt nice and soft off the top like the cabrio boots I know and love. But once I really got cooking, the AR ONE diverged from some cabrios that can feel too linear in their flex progression.

　　I pushed into a sturdy, progressive ramp up that I straight up couldn’t push past. I was able to carve deep trenches on piste like I would with a stiff overlap boot. The boot refused to fold. Not quite as stiff and progressive as a race boot, but solid for a freestyle freerider.

　　But the AR ONE isn’t designed as a carving boot, even if it does just fine there. It’s a freerider and freestyler. So I pulled out Scott’s SEA 108 when soft snow blanketed Vail’s vast terrain, and the AR ONEs felt even more at home.

　　The SEA 108s have a buttery character that matched the cabrio energy of the boot. Slashing and sliding, jibbing and jumping. It all felt fun and loose and smooth. And the AR ONEs had the backbone to land hard and keep me upright in some nasty early-season G-outs.

　　And it didn’t take much speed or force to engage ONEs. They could flex, butter, and hop at slow speeds, where some really stiff overlap boots can feel like bricks. The flex of the AR ONE legitimately bridges the gap between cabrio and alpine boots. Legitimately progressive, but distinctly more forgiving than an aggressive 130-flexing overlap boot. 

　　The AR ONEs offer several character adjustments. A variety of included shims allows you to adjust the forward lean between 13 degrees, 15 degrees, and 17 degrees to get the angle of your preference and style. Spoilers are included for additional micro adjustments. I found the factory settings quite agreeable, but it’s a good option for skiers with specific tastes.

　　The PU build, smooth flex, and aftermarket insole proved an exceptionally damp package. Vibrations from the snow barely made it to my feet. Every feature, even in rock-solid early-season conditions, felt softer. Paired with the ultra-damp K2 Mindbender, I might as well have been skiing underwater.

　　Freestyle skiers in the park will appreciate the shock-absorbing Kush Damping Bootboard that takes the edge off the big, firm hits. I tested its forgiveness on an icy knuckle, for better or worse. It’s a thoughtful addition for the types of skiers who will be drawn to this boot. and for anyone else who likes a little cushion underneath. 

　　Touring?

　　The AR ONE cant really function as a 50/50 resort/touring boot; (photo/Bergen Tjossem) The AR ONEs are compatible with Gripwalk Alpine bindings. More and more resort-oriented boots these days come with tech toe compatibility (the little metal dimples on either side of the toe block). That makes the boot compatible with a growing crop of hybrid bindings like the Marker Duke PT or the Salomon Shift2. That means you technically could tour in the AR ONEs.

　　But here’s the thing: You will not enjoy it. Forget that they’re 500g heavier per boot than most beefy touring boots. The AR ONEs lack any kind of walk mode, a tradeoff of that smooth cabrio design.

　　It’s not impossible, though. You could open the upper buckles and eke out a few degrees of mobility to get you up to a resort gate or out of a backcountry zone. But I’d caution you not to consider those tech inserts as a sign that the AR ONEs can function as a 50/50 resort/touring boot. You’d regret that decision.

　　Armada AR ONE: Conclusion

　　The AR ONE is a great option for the cabrio-curious who also need strong, progressive flex; (photo/Bergen Tjossem) My skiing style has always felt conflicted. There’s no feeling on earth like carving big, fast turns on a fresh piste. Traditional technique can feel like an art form honed over a lifetime. But modern freeride skiing feels like pure freedom, like expression. I’m talking fast, loose, and creatively in all the terrain a mountain has to offer.

　　Boot design hasn’t kept up with ski innovation in this way. I haven’t come across one boot that can carve and slarve with the leaders on either end of the traditional-to-freeride boot spectrum. For that reason, the new AR ONE is a really interesting entry into the ski boot scene. After many days of ripping every shred of terrain my local resort had to offer, I’m left impressed and frankly a little bit beat up.

　　The AR ONEs bridge the gap between traditional overlap boots and cabrios without trying to reinvent what’s already working. Its a great option for the cabrio-curious who still need strong, progressive flex. They’re comfy and offer a flex profile matched to hard-charging freestylers and freeriders looking for one boot to do it all.

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